All But Forgotten
by ambersweet
Summary: A frigid Flanoir night can make a person feel like they are alone in the universe. Rated T just in case I add some romance later that contains slightly more mature content. Not sure if I like it-product of boredom. Any feedback appreciated. :
1. Chapter 1

There was a chill in the air, which was to be expected considering the typical atmosphere of Flanoir. Emil shuddered and held his arms more closely to his chest to retain the little bit of body heat he had generated. He also had a feeling that it was not only the weather that was causing him to shiver, but general discomfort caused by the unusual circumstances that he had gotten himself into. It had started off as an innocent enough task; go down to the lakebed and investigate the odd noises. He knew then that he really shouldn't have gone down, but he felt inexplicably drawn by the haunting call of the monster, as if it was somehow his destiny to follow it's beckoning howls. He didn't regret his decision, he had grown up because of it, but he still had to take a time out every once in a while to clear his head and figure out how he had gotten here.

"…Emil?"

He recognized the voice instantly, and turned to meet the gaze of the beautiful young woman who had walked alongside him and guided him down this path for so long now.

"Oh. Hey, Marta."

"Why are you still up?"

"I just needed time to think about things, you know? So much has happened lately. Half the time I feel… lost."

"Oh…"

There were a few moments of silence before Emil looked up at Marta. She looked disheartened-no, downright depressed. She was gazing absentmindedly as the blanket of snow beneath them and shuffling her feet, creating a miniature snow angel.

"M-Marta? What's wrong? Are you… crying?"

"No. I'm fine, Emil. I'm just sorry you had to get caught up in all of this. I mean, it's my problem and I just dragged you along thinking that you could make everything better just because I liked you. You didn't ask for any of this, and I never really considered what you were thinking. I just set these ridiculous standards for you and I wasn't willing to see you for who you are. I'm sorry, Emil."

He winced as he saw a tear slink down her cheek, shimmering by the light of the half-moon. Without thinking he reached out and tenderly brushed it from her chin before it had a chance to fall. She looked up, her vivid blue eyes sparkling, looking sad and forlorn, but as full of hope as they were with regret. Realizing what he had done, he abruptly pulled his hand back and shoved it into his pocket, turning sheepishly to the side.

Emil directed his gaze back to the frosty night sky, starting up at the stars and the swirling snowflakes as he spoke, partially because it really was beautiful, but mostly because he didn't want to see the pain on Marta's face.

"It's okay. I'm glad you chose me to be your knight. Without you, I probably still would've been alone. It's been difficult, but I think it's the best thing I've ever done. "

"Who knows? I mean, you don't have the best memory," Marta said jokingly.

"Yeah…"

"Oh no. Emil! I didn't mean it like that!"

"No, it's okay. I'm not mad or anything. I just… I wonder why everything seems so hazy, you know, from before I met you and Tenebrae. I feel like I don't know who I am sometimes. And, I don't know, it just feels like it's getting worse. I don't even remember half of the things I've been doing lately. And I know it's always stuff that's happened while I'm in Ratatosk mode, but that doesn't explain why I can't remember things from before I had even made a pact."

"Well, I feel like we're getting closer to finding an answer. I mean, it's hard to know what's really going on right now, with anyone, but I do know we can figure all of this out together."

Emil glanced back down at his confidant who was smiling. She looked overly optimistic and he could see that she was just as worried as he was underneath her perfectly manicured expression, but it was one of the qualities he liked about her; she always tried to greet tragedy with a smile. He smiled back sheepishly, an automatic reaction. He noticed a slight change in her face as the smile became more relaxed, more genuine.

"Yeah. We'll get through this. Do you think it'll get better once we wake up Ratatosk?"

"I hope so."

"I know Richter is supposed to be bad and everyth-

"Supposed to be bad? He's trying to kill me…"

"Yeah. But there's just something about him. I don't know. I just feel like he's not really a bad guy. I want to trust him. There are so many times that he could have killed us, where he could've gone after you, and he didn't. There has to be a reason for that, you know? Even if he is part of the Vanguard, I think there's gotta be a good reason for everything."


	2. Chapter 2

Emil trailed off, his words hanging in the frosty air and dissipating into the silence of the moonlit night. He wished that he knew Richter's reasons, for everything. Despite all the evidence that told him that Richter should be his enemy, he simply couldn't accept this as a reality. He had a strong sense of faith about the man who had mentored him, though he had grown so much since then that his memory of them seemed distant, like it had been a waking dream, rather than a tangible experience. But without Richter's guidance, though they had not spent a great deal of time together, he would still be the complacent, timid Emil that he was before.

"I wonder why he would've tried to kill Aster. They were supposed to be friends, right?"

"Huh? Oh. I don't know. I mean, the memories are so vivid. I feel like there's no way that those… memories could be my imagination, but it just doesn't feel right. I just know he's not that kind of person!"

His body begin to shake in slight, tiny convulsions. He could feel his emotions getting the better of him, all his anguish, confusion, and anger twisting and weaving, writhing, tangling itself into a knot that had found a home in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to scream, but felt that there was not enough air in his lungs. The lump in his throat would have prevented it regardless. All he wanted was the truth. Simplicity. He wanted to tell Marta how he felt about Richter, but there were no words. His trust could not be justified through an explanation; there was none. He just knew. Just like the Chosen's group had known that Lloyd had his reasons, that he had not changed. What his reasons were, no one was entirely sure, but they trusted him. They were good friends, yet he felt the same way, even though he wasn't even sure if he could call Richter a friend…

He felt a warm hand envelop his and Marta's typically chipper voice had become hushed and compassionate, soothing as her melody eased itself into his head, creating a barrier between he and his jumbled thoughts.

"I believe in you. I know we'll figure it all out," she paused before gently squeezing his hand, "together."

"Yeah."

"Ah, so the buds of romance are truly starting to bloom."

"TENEBRAE!"

Marta plunged her arm downward, breaking contact with Emil, and spun on her heel all in one fluid motion to face the smug centurion who was standing just a few feet behind them. Emil felt the heat rise to his face and he looked vacantly at the blanket of snow beneath him, feeling as though the spike in his body temperature could melt it.

"Hmm? Oh, don't let me get in the way. I am nothing but an old fogey, so what do I know about romance?" He let out a slightly sour and self-satisfied chortle before gilding up to them.

"How long have you been listening?!"

"That is of little consequence-what is important it that you two get enough sleep, instead of wandering off in the middle of the night to discuss your infatuation."

That statement pulled Emil out of his stupor and tossed him back into reality. The way that Tenebrae said it, it was more of an accusation than a comment. He finally turned to face the centurion, who was looking at him, looking into him, as if trying to communicate through only his narrowed eyes. Whatever he was trying to say, the thought obviously amused him.

"What? There was nothing happening between us!"

He regretted those words the instant they left his lips. He couldn't see Marta's face, but she brought her hand up to her face and her head dropped the tiniest bit. With a weak sniffle she let out a little bemused murmur, "Yeah, I guess not."

Emil glared at Tenebrae.

"You really are like a spiteful old woman sometimes, you know that?"

His eyes widened, and he looked a little taken aback.

"How rude!"

Ignoring the hovering old nag, he approached Marta warily, unsure of what to do or say. He wanted to hold her in his arms and make her feel better, but he wasn't sure that it was the right thing to do at the moment. Besides, he was still quite timid, despite how much he had grown since embarking on this journey. He took her hand, but felt no response. She did not acknowledge him; she did not reciprocate the little squeeze. She just let her hand rest limply in his like a dead weight. Now that he was standing beside her, he could see the dim light of the streetlamps glinting of the moisture that had accumulated on her lower eyelid. He saw a single glistening line that curved around the contours of her soft cheek and snaked down all the way to her neck. She was still looking straight ahead, donning a mask of indifference, but betrayed her tears. He wanted to kiss them away, but knew he didn't have the courage. Besides, Tenebrae was still there, watching, though looking less amused, and a little more self-conscious than usual. Oh well, he deserved it.


	3. Chapter 3

"Marta, that's not what I meant."

"I know Emil. I'm going to go back inside. Good night."

Emil looked back at Tenebrae, who still seemed slightly taken aback. After being glared at for a few seconds, the centurion finally met Emil's eye line, though it seemed that he was still contemplating his character and whether or not he was a spiteful, old nag. Which, most of the time, seemed to be the case.

"Do you think that other people see me in that light? I am the centurion of darkness. I am a majestic, intricate creature, shrouded by intrigue and the lure of the black velvet abyss. I am a tapestry woven by the threads of the blackest night sky. I represent the eternal void, the seductive nothingness where one can lose themselves and sink into blissful oblivion, the path that is both beginning and end. I don't want people to get the impression that I am like an old, intolerant grandparent, always there giving off the elderly vibe and scent of old cabbage."

"Then maybe you should stop butting into people's conversations."

"I simply overheard."

"Every word."

"Which one would think is admirable for someone who has lived this long. Loss of hearing can be quite the issue as one grows older. Of course, I am not a human, constrained by all of the mortal…"

Emil rolled his eyes while Tenebrae continued in his idle musings, wondering how much force it would take for the centurion to revert back to core form.

"…so really, it is a gift for anyone to have the advanced auditory capabilities that I am equipped with. Why not use them to their full potential?"

"Well, if you didn't use them to spy on peop- you know what? Nevermind. I think I'm going to bed as well," sighed Emil.

"Goodnight then, Lord Emil."

"Yeah. Goodnight. Oh, uhm, what was with that look earlier?"

"Hmm? What look?"

"That look you gave me, you know, when you made the crack about being in love. Before You got Marta all mad at me."

"There wasn't a look."

"Yes there was."

"I don't recall…"

"There was a look! I remember that you shot me a look."

"Hmm. Really?

"Yes."

"I don't think so."

"But I was sure of it..."

"An unusual one?"

"Well, yeah. That's why I remembered it."

"Well, I cannot seem to recall..."

"I guess not."

"What kind of a look are you saying I gave you?"

"I don't know. But it was different that usual. It wasn't smug, exactly."

"Are you saying I'm smug?"

"I didn't say that."

"You implied it."

"I didn't mean to."

"Do you just think I'm just a smug, nosey, spiteful old nag?"

"Well, sometimes you tend to, you know, act like you know more and stuff."

"I have lived for thousands of years."

"I guess so."

"It's just a matter of logic that I would know more as I have experienced more."

"You're doing it again."

"Fine. Maybe I will just keep to myself from now on if you do not appreciate my wisdom."

"Okay, Tenebrae. But about that look-"

"I don't remember the look. What were you talking about before I gave you this supposed look that you seem so intent on deciphering?"

"A lot of things. What's happening to me, what's going to happen to us, how we've changed. You heard it all, didn't you?"

"Well, as I said before about the hearing, it wasn't entirely my fault."

"It doesn't matter. You're even more confusing than Richter. I'll see you tomorrow"

"Oh yes! Richter… now I remember."

"Remember what?"

"What you were talking about. The look."

"Yeah? What was that about? I didn't get what you were trying to say."

"I said exactly what I meant-that love is in the air."

"But what does that have to do with the look? What were you trying to say by that?"

"Well, you should get to sleep. Sweet dreams."

"TENEBRAE!"

With that, there was a small puff of grey smoke as the centurion disappeared into to cold night air.

"Wait! Tenebrae?" There was no response. He stood there for a few minutes staring at the empty space before him, watching the soft gray smoke diffuse into the air, disappearing, leaving the spot completely empty, as though nothing had even been there before.

"What is he talking about? And what did Richter have to do with anything?"

He heard a muffled chuckle from about two feet away.


End file.
